State of the Union (or just of Treasure Bay Fabrics)

Hello Friends!  I was surprised to get a notice last week that another online/brick and mortar Quilt Shop was closing its doors and going out of business.  It really surprised me as this shop is all over the blogs and advertising, I guess I assumed they were doing okay.  While I am sad to see a shop go out of business, I thought perhaps it might be a good time to let everyone know what is happening at Treasure Bay Fabrics.

Currently, I am an online only, one (sometimes two!) working mom owned operation.  I have practically zero overhead other than inventory so I do have the luxury of being able to weather the current state of the economy better than a retail only location or even a combo online/retail spot.  The only problem is that when sales slow down, so does my ability to buy and that can make it hard to compete with all the other online stores. 

For 2011 - my goals are to increase the turnover in stock (which equals more markdowns!), bring in more of the fun, fresh and modern fabrics that everyone loves and to (gulp!) move out of the basement and into a small, retail spot!  Ideally, I would like to find something small and affordable.  Something that is in a creative, woman friendly, artistic area that would allow me to regulate my hours and add a little extra income to the business.  Something that is affordable even if we do not have a single walk in customer.  I am playing it very safe and probably moving too slowly for some customers, but I would like to have my little corner of the world for as long as I can.  I may not be the biggest shop right now, but I am encouraged that we can have a great 2011 and many more years to come!

I really do love what I do and love my customers, you guys are fabulous!  I am having a special sale for Facebook fans and my blog readers - use code LUVFANS20 at checkout and save 20% off your entire order!  www.treasurebayfabrics.com